Post Thanksgiving Break Edition

Thanksgiving break was restful, but too short. I'm happy that I was able to see everyone from family to high school friends to college friends all in 3 days. My last week and a half before break ended a bit average. We were reviewing natural selection and the scientific method and I don't think I was on the top of my game teaching-wise. Part of it was going over material that we had (supposedly) learned once. The other part was probably not having a clear enough plan. I can tell that things did not go as well as I had hoped due to the data from the test scores; they were low on a test consisting of mainly multiple choice (I had many low level Bloom's objectives and I'll admit it made the grading easier on the plane).

Luckily, I found a great website that has a set of presentations and handouts from conferences put on by the Department of Education. While the presentations aren't recorded, the powerpoint used along with the handouts are there and they are a wealth of good information that is content specific. I found presentations on using writing, differentiation, and dealing with misconceptions in science! The information is all given by experienced teachers who back it up with research. One thing I'll be implementing by the start of 2nd semester is science journals. Students will do more writing in class and they'll have a portfolio of work that can be graded (and shown to parents). It will also help in keeping information organized so that the students can see what we are doing as a whole rather than disjunct parts.

These weeks up until Christmas should go much better as I have two units that I know I can teach during this time period: atoms and space. The atom unit is quite basic in that we have to cover the parts of an atom and how to find the number of electrons, protons, and neutrons in an atom. We also have to discuss how atomic theory is a scientific theory and conduct investigations about the history of science as it relates to atomic theory (scientists, discoveries, etc). The space unit deals with the shape of galaxies and how planets and other objects exert gravitational forces. I like the idea of ending with this unit as next semester we get to do earth science where we'll definitely talk about waves.

Tomorrow I have a lesson planned where we will create models of atoms out of construction paper and play dough. The play dough will be used to create the electrons, protons, and electrons on the atoms. Of course, the students will be calculating the number of each and planning their atom out instead of just playing with play dough. Today's students had a great deal of energy; I don't think they were ready to be back in school. The behavior was a bit crazy across all of my classes (even the relatively good ones). I don't see this as necessarily bad as it wasn't just one class plotting against me; instead, it was a mood across all of the classes and it should be better tomorrow. The behavior of my students will go in streaks with bad behavior never lasting more than 2 days.

I'm also excited to start a new book I just ordered called, "The World Without Us." Its author asks, "What would the world look like environmentally if humans weren't in it?" It appeared on Scientific American's recommended list for holiday gifts and it will touch on a great deal of the earth science we'll be dealing with 2nd semester. I also just found the topic interesting, and I may learn more about earth science this way than through a dry textbook. It'll also be helpful to have during AR Reading Time, which is the program the students do during homeroom. They read designated books on their reading level and then take tests on what they've read. It seems to be a much better use for homeroom than a study hall. In order to get students to do most behaviors in middle school (and other levels, too) it's important for the teacher to model the behavior. As a result, I too get to read during homeroom. It's actually quite nice as I am awake enough to read and not completely exhausted like at the end of the day. I have been reading the economist and scientific american, but by having a book my reading should appear more meaningful. Luckily, I do have students that like to read and many have asked me about what I'm reading (which is quite cool).